Choristers from the Metropolitan AME Church, Woodrow Wilson High School, Eastern High School, and Howard County high schools

Angel Gil-Ordóñez, conductor

Written and produced by Joseph Horowitz

Visual track by Peter Bogdanoff

Harry Burleigh (1866-1949) is a forgotten hero of American music. Antonin Dvorak’s assistant in New York City from 1892 to 1895, Burleigh was subsequently the composer/singer most responsible for turning spirituals into art songs. His “Deep River” (1915), a sensation in its day, took an obscure upbeat spiritual and turned it into the reverent song made famous by Burleigh, Marian Anderson, Paul Robeson, and countless others.